His wife, Annamma Mathew, was a culinary expert and Chief Editor of
Vanitha, who wrote under the name
Mrs. K. M. Mathew. His book of memoirs,
Annamma, (based on his wife), was published by Penguin in Malayalam (2004) and in English (2005). The couple had four children - three sons and a daughter, and nine grandchildren. Annamma Mathew died in 2003, a loss which deeply affected Mathew and led to the formation of his memoirs. Despite suffering from various illnesses like
diabetes and
cardiovascular disease, Mathew remained active in many fields, and handled Malayala Manorama till his last days. He died suddenly due to a
heart attack on 1 August 2010, aged 93. He was a devout member of the
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and was buried at the Puthenpally Church Cemetery which is the main cemetery of
Kottayam Cheriapally (Saint Mary Orthodox Church) along with its three chapels and kurishupally. ==Autobiography==